We wrapped up our tour of Asia in culinary school this week and ended with a practical exam in which we each had to prepare several dishes including; a grilled chicken paillard with an Asian marinade of our choice, a chicken supreme with a pan sauce, fresh gnocchi or pasta and a vegetable (mine was glazed carrots with a hint of cumin and lime). This was an intense practical exam as it was the first time we were asked to create our own recipes for some of the dishes and the preparations were a bit more involved. I’d like to say I nailed it however, my carrots, which were beautifully cut into tournes and shaped on the plate like a leaf, were slightly undercooked. (Argh!) Otherwise, everything came out great and the Asian-marinated chicken paillard was my favorite so I decided to share my recipe with you! I think it would be a great addition to your Father’s Day celebration!

Grilled chicken paillard is one of those super-simple yet extremely flavorful and healthy dishes I love. I often order it when I find it on the menu at Italian restaurants. I usually receive a beautifully seasoned chicken breast, pounded out super-thin on the bottom of the plate with greens, like arugula, piled on top. This recipe is similar but has a bit of an Asian twist added in with the marinade and the carrot-ginger dressing. It’s not too hard to pound out your boneless chicken breasts at home between two lengths of plastic wrap and it definitely releases out a lot of aggression and/or tension (just sayin’!). However, it is very easy to get thin-cut chicken breast from the store so feel free to use those instead. I won’t tell anyone.

We started our pastry module at the end of the week. I am super-excited because we found out Chef Michelle Tampakis is our instructor. She is an award-winning pastry chef and head of the Advanced Pastry Department at my school, the Institute of Culinary Education. Chef Michelle was diagnosed with celiac disease several years ago and now runs a gluten-free wholesale bakery, Whipped Pastry Boutique, in addition to teaching the professional program at the school. She also teaches a few gluten-free baking and cooking classes. Could I have gotten any luckier? I look forward to sharing some of the tips and tricks I learn with you over the next several weeks. Have a great weekend!

¼ cup canola or sesame oil (sesame oil is richer but I don't use it at home because of my son's allergies)

1 lemongrass root, diced small

1 scallion, sliced thin on diagonal (reserve green parts for garnish)

2 tsp (about 1½" piece) ginger, peeled and minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp raw sugar or 1 tsp white sugar

salt and pepper

SALAD

1 package organic spring mix, rinsed and drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cleaned and sliced diagonally

2 small (or 1 large) carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely

1" piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

¼ onion, chopped coarsely

2 T soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 tsp sugar

¼ tsp anchovy paste, optional

vegetable oil, about ½ cup or more, if desired

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pound out chicken or prepare thin-cut chicken breast cutlets and place in a shallow baking dish

Combine the fish sauce, soy sauce, oil, lemongrass, white part of scallion, ginger, garlic and sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together

Pour on top of chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the salad dressing by adding carrots, ginger, onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar sugar and anchovy paste to a food processor. Pulse until finely minced. Slowly pour in vegetable oil, while it is on, and continue until the dressing begins to emulsify and the mixture liquifies a bit. (I stop just at this point but if you like your dressing a little more oily, you can add as much as you like.)

Season the dressing liberally with salt and pepper. The salt will bring out all of the flavors in the dressing and the pepper will complement them nicely. Keep tasting as you season to get it just right.

Heat grill or grill pan

Mix spring mix and tomatoes together in a bowl and toss with carrot-ginger dressing

Remove chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with canola oil and place on the grill.

Turn about 90 degrees on the same side after about 1-2 minutes. Turn over and repeat on second side, cooking until chicken reaches 165 degrees F.

Remove and place chicken paillard on plate, pile salad high on top, garnish with green scallion and add a little extra carrot-ginger dressing on the plate for dipping. Enjoy!

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